T
he prophetic voices in Palestine had been
silent for 400 years. During that time, the
ancient land of Israel had been occupied,
reoccupied and occupied again by foreign
conquerors. Now under Roman rule, the Jewish country
had become a province, its people desperately clinging
to their identity and their hopes for a new day.
An otherwise unremarkable couple prepared for
their coming marriage. Then, the unthinkable happened.
Young Mary was pregnant, and it seemed to her be-
trothed Joseph that she had also lost her mind as she
insisted that it was God who
was responsible. In breaking
off the plans for mar-
riage, love required
him to do so quietly.
That decision made,
he fell into a fitful
sleep, only to hear
God deliver a star-
tling promise. Assur-
ing Joseph that Mary
was telling the truth,
He then said that a
Son would be born and
that he was to "give
Him the name Jesus,
because He will save His people from their sins"
(Matthew 1:21).
The name "Jesus" was a Greek version of the Jew-
ish forms of Joshua, Ezra and Hosea, meaning "God
saves." The name heralded back to Joshua, the one
who led the Children of Israel in their triumphant
conquest of the Promised Land. It reminded people of
Ezra, who led those remaining back to rebuild Jerusa-
lem and reestablish worship in a temple resurrected
from rubble. The redemptive power of love was chron-
icled in the book of Hosea, who purchased his way-
ward wife back from the slavery to which she had sold
herself. Now this name had a new bearer. The others
foreshadowed Him, but now He came, staying true to
His very name that He came as the once�and�for�all
Savior of the world.
SAVED FROM WHAT?
The Bible chronicles the sad history that began so
well. Placed in the perfect environment, our first par-
ents still found a way to long for something outside
the will of God. When they sinned, all humankind
tumbled into the hole they created. And there we all
stay with no hope of rescue, save one.
People readily seek for help when surrounded by
enemies, when besieged by pain, when distressed
by poverty. But Christ's salvation is far greater in
scope. We settle for too little. The second General of
The Salvation Army, Bramwell Booth said,
"Yes, that is it! Christ the Savior! Not merely
Christ the Helper of the poor, or
the Feeder of the hungry, or the
Father of the prodigals, or the
Brother of the prostitutes, the Com-
fort of the sorrow-
ful; but Christ the
Savior from condem-
nation and guilt, from
stains and filth, from
the love and power
and presence of sin."
Through Christ we are
saved from the greatest
evil -- not only present evil but also the potential for
evil in the future. We cannot know the evil from which
we were shielded, that never happened, because the
grace of God put us somewhere else.
SAVED TO THE CORE
We are saved to the very core of our being, in the
place no one can reach. It is not something "out there"
but very much "in here." Nor do we have to qualify for
His attention. He loves us as surely as a good parent
irresistibly loves her child. His love is so great that
He demolishes the work of Satan, much like a father
would demolish a door to rescue his child from flames.
The salvation offered through Christ not only takes
away, it adds to. His blessing replaces certain spiritual
death. His answers are present before we can ask the
questions. His strength steadies before we stumble.
" ...you are to name Him Jesus,
for He will save His people from their sins"
(Matthew 1:21).
by
LT. COLONEL ALLEN SATTERLEE
Bible
Study
............
32
The War Cry | DECEMBER 2014
Matthew 1:21
Great
Promises
of the Bible:
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